1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a mattress or boxspring encasement and, more specifically, to an encasement closure that prevents bed bugs from traversing the seam, by entering into the mattress or crawling out of the mattress.
2. Description of the Related Art
The hospitality business, in particular, has recently become urgently aware of, and has been pursuing protection solutions for, bed bug infestations. Bed bugs have become a major issue since the banning of the chemical DDT. In the past four years, bed bugs have made a major resurgence and specifically in the past eighteen months, there have been store, hotel, and business closings due to bed bugs.
Bed bugs choose to remain in dark places and are attracted to humans as they feed on human blood. Although a bed bug can choose to hide in any dark part of a room, the bed is a prime target due to the amount of dark spaces and the proximity to their prey.
Bed bugs can infest a room, and it is a very difficult process to find the bugs and eliminate them from the room. The most difficult location from which to eliminate bugs is from inside a mattress or boxspring. Once inside a mattress or boxspring, the bed bugs will nest and multiply, and the mattress and/or boxspring will need to be discarded by the user since it is not possible to get pesticides or treatments within every corner of the mattress or boxspring.
The basic premise of an encasement is to protect the investment in a mattress or boxspring. If a mattress or boxspring is fully encased, there is no possibility of permeation into the product by bed bugs. Even with an infested room, the mattress and boxspring (which can cost over $1,000.00) will be protected from the infestation and the investment in those products will be saved.
Encasements are a good concept, but can only succeed with proper installation and implementation. Due to human intervention, such as housekeeping, guests and common users being required to zipper the encasement closed, there is a good possibility of the encasement not performing its required function. Normal encasements zip closed with a basic zipper ending. If the zipper is left open, even open by 1 centimeter, it is possible that bed bugs could enter the opening, nest and infest the mattress.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,552,489 B2 describes one possible device for overcoming the problem. There, a foam pad is stitched into the enclosure below the zipper. When the zipper is closed, i.e., when the zipper slide or head is located at or near the end, the zipper slide or head rides on the foam pad in order to more securely close off the opening that may remain at the end of the zipper.
U.S. patent application Publication No. US 2010/0281614 discloses an encasement opening which is extended so as to be able to fold over a zipper, creating a barrier. Velcro® is added to the extension part to seal and hold the extension part. The extension covers the zipper opening and is intended to prevent it from sliding. However, there is no mechanism for ensuring that the zipper itself is completely closed or for preventing it from opening a slight amount which would allow bed bugs to enter or leave.
U.S. patent application Publication No. US 2011/0099714 discloses an encasement having a flap secured to a lower side wall portion of a side of the encasement which is positioned inwardly of the zipper for retarding or preventing escapement of bed bugs through the zipper. Once again, there is no mechanism for ensuring that the zipper itself is completely closed or for preventing it from opening a slight amount which would allow bed bugs to enter or leave.
U.S. patent application Publication No. US 2011/0113553 shows a bed bug-resistant cover for a mattress, which has a zipper assembly that is cooperable with panels of fabric material and filter, which is welded by radio frequency welding at an inside surface of the panels of fabric material to cover a vent. That device also has no mechanism for ensuring that the zipper itself is completely closed or for preventing it from opening a slight amount which would allow bed bugs to enter or leave.
U.S. patent application Publication No. US 2010/0269312 teaches a slider assembly having interlocking parts, a slider for engaging and disengaging the interlocking parts and a cohesive zipper assembly for fastening the slider assembly to a predetermined article which has cooperating cohesive parts. Nothing in that device keeps a zipper closed or prevents a zipper from opening a slight amount which would allow bed bugs to enter or leave.
Finally, the Protect-A-Bed® AllerZip® Bed Bug Protection Kit ties a zipper pull by attaching a zip tie to a mattress encasement, looping the zip tie through a hole in a zipper pull and fastening the zip tie to prevent tampering. However, the zip tie is flexible and will allow the zipper head or slide to move along the zipper to a great enough extent to allow bed bugs to enter or leave, especially when the encasement is shifted due to use.